One thing that surprised me when my son got married was how unsure I felt about my role. I was not the bride’s mother, and I was not in charge of planning the wedding. At the same time, I was not completely on the outside either. I found myself …

I’m currently using Franklin “day on two pages” in my planner. That might sound like a lot for someone who is home most of the time and no longer homeschooling. My days are not packed with appointments and deadlines. But I like these pages. I r…

Short version: One simple running list can hold your life so your brain doesn’t have to. Even with a good system in place, sometimes I sit down at my desk and I don't know what to do. I could do the one or two specific tas…

What are the groom’s parents responsible for? If you’ve found yourself asking this question, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common — and emotionally loaded — questions mothers of the groom carry into the wedding season. Most of the time…

Planning in Real Life is a conversation series where I ask people from all walks of life the same set of questions about how they plan, stay organized, and keep their days moving. Everyone approaches planning differently, and that’s w…

January usually ends the same way: good intentions, half-used pages, notes written everywhere, and that uneasy feeling that something important might have slipped through the cracks. February isn’t a “new year” for me. It’s a cleanup month —where…

Most planners don’t fall apart at the beginning of the month. They fall apart right in the middle. The excitement of a fresh start has worn off, real life has crept in, and suddenly your planner feels boring, heavy, or ignored. This is the point …